Article of wearing apparel and method of making it



June 17, 1941. s. GASTRICH ARTICLE OF WEARING APPAREL AND METHOD OF MAKING IT 3 Sheets-Shsaet l :5 .LE- -E- Filed Aug. 12, 1936 INVENTQR; usi'r ah,

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ARTICLE OF WEARING APPAREL AND METHOD OF MAKING IT Filed Aug. 12, 1936 3 Sheets-Shet 12 IN V EN TOR.

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Filed Aug. 12, 19ss a Sheets-Sheet 3 June 17, 1941.

ARTICLE OF WEARING APPAREL AND METHOD OF MAKiNG IT skin, precludin Patented June 17, 1941 ARTICLE OF WEARING APPAREL AND IVIETHOD OF MAKING IT Gustav Gastrich, Wyomissing, Pa., assignor to Textile Machine Works, Wynmissing, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application August 12, 1936, Serial No. 95,592

Claims.

My invention relates to knitted fabrics, and to a method of making them, and particularly to elastic areas of tubular form, as in the welts of stockings, or like portions of other garments.

In such art, it has been usual to form garter or band like portions in stockings and other garments or wearing apparel for the purpose of holding the fabric in position, as by enclosing a separate elastic garter in a folded welt, by sewing an elastic braid garter to, or topping it on, the

top of a stocking,-by knitting a welt portion of elastic yarn, and by other means.

= Many of the former fabrics have been subject to one objection or another, such as binding with too great, or too little, force on the leg of the wearer, and locally concentrating the binding force of the elastic, as along a line about the leg, instead of over a wider area. The appearance, the cost, the comfort, the durability and other features have also rendered the f abrics objectlonable in many ways. 1

Another important objection to elastic welts or garters heretofore attached to, or carried by, the stockings, has resulted from the fact that the elastic band portions, in relaxed condition, have been of the same peripheral dimensions as the inelastic yarn stocking top, whereby, since the elastic fabric has greater stretch than the fabric of inelastic yarn, a tendency to tear the latter, or rupture its loops, has resulted from attempts to unduly extend the elastic.

Among the objects of this invention are to provide an elastic welt, or the like, of improved appearance, softer feel, freedom from cutting or binding along narrow lines, greater durability and better proportioned binding force, and that shall be simple and durable in construction, economical to manufacture and effective in its operation.

More in particular the invention contemplates the provision of a folded or double-layer welt or the like for a full-fashioned silk stocking, in which onev layer is of inelastic yarn, such as silk, and the other entirely supports means for rendering it elastic, such as coursewise o.walewise panels or sub areas of elastic yarn knitted into, and with, inelastic yarn, or by having such other layer entirely of elastic yarn, as of rubber covered with fibre, such as cotton or silk, or with other material.

Having a simple fold of inelastic yarn at its top edge from which an inelastic yarn margin extends downwardly on the elastic layer side, the welt. band or garter lies flat against the wearer's local binding as at the top edge,

and distributes its slight, but suflicient, binding effect substantially throughout its area.

The elastic layer is preferably on the inside of the welt next to the skin, and the outer, or inelastic layer is also preferably contracted or gathered, as in walewise folds or pleats, whereby to give free play to the innerlayer for substantially greater expansion than it would otherwise have, to cause the outer layer, to lie smooth on the leg, substantially free from its folds or pleats, and to improve the appearance of the stocking. Thus, in its position of! the leg of the wearer, the welt presents an ornamental pleated eflect, while, in service, it will be smooth or less pleated, depending upon the extent to which it is stretched. In any case, the elastic layer is obscured, by which fact, it may be produced more from the standpoints of durability, economy and effective service,

and less from the standpoint of expensive decoration, than in the case of exposed elastics.

Another feature of importance, in one form of the invention, resides in the provision of margins of inelastic yarn along the selvage edges of a knitted blank otherwise constructed of, or including, elastic yarn, whereby to provide for eifective, and usual, seaming between these edges; these margins or other inelastic areas, in one form, being Joined to the elastic panels or areas by split seams.

An important phase of the invention resides in the article and the method of producing it whereby, a fabric havinil an area including elastic yarn has certain wales from which the loops are inclined oppositely. l

A ribbed characteristic of the elastic layer renders it more elastic and provides a desirable gripping or holding feature relative to the skin of the wearer, when employed as an weari s apparel, such as a stocking.

By the above-outlined features, particularly of the pleated outer layer of inelastic yarncombined with the elastic inner layer, much greater stretch is provided at the jointure of the welt and the main leg portion, without danger of in- Jury to the loops of the main leg portion, thus precluding runnersand rendering the placing of a stocking on the wearer's leg a much simpler, faster, and more convenient operation safer to the stocking.

with these and other advantagesincident to a utilization of the improvements, the invention comprises the parts and combinations. thereof hereinafter set forth and claimed, with the understanding that the several necessary elements may be varied in construction, texture, re-

article of lation and other features without departing from the spirit and scope thereof.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a view, in perspective, taken from the front and with parts broken away, of a fullfashloned stocking embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a view, on a reduced scale, of the flat blank from which the stocking of Fig. 1 is constructed; the welt being folded with its inner layer showing;

Fig. 3 is a view, on a slightly larger scale, similar to the top portion of Fig. 2, showing the welt and upper leg portions of the invention in modified form;

Fig. 4 is a view taken along the line l4 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a view, similar to Fig. 3, of a further modified form of the invention;

Fig. 6 is a view taken along the line 6-4 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a detail view, on a greatly enlarged scale, of the loop structure in an area A of r. T. 1;

Fig. 8 is a view, similar to Fig. 7, of an area B 0. Fig. 5; and

Fig. 9 is an enlarged detail view taken substantially along the line 99 of Fig. 1.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, the stocking illustrated as one example of the invention, is of the full-fashioned type, comprising a welt W, a leg L and a foot F, of which the leg L and the foot F are not deemed necessary of detail description,

" since they are, or may be, constructed as in any full-fashioned stocking.

By also referring to Fig. 9, it is better seen that the welt W of Figs. 1 and 2 comprises an outer layer Ill, and an inner layer l2 formed by a continuous knitting operation, in which the first few courses are of inelastic yarn to form a narrow margin H for topping onto the needles at the welt line M, after which, the elastic yarn of the layer l2, having the same number of loops to the course as the inelastic yarn, is knitted to a course N. Following course N a number of courses are knitted from inelastic yarn to form a margin l5 spacing the course N from the top or picot edge E of the stocking blank. Continued knitting from inelastic yarn forms the outer layer ID, the yarn of which may be further knitted for a few courses into the upper leg area, where it may be changed, or yarn of the same or different character, knitted by one carrier, or by a plurality of carriers to render the leg area of the ringless type.

Also, the welt W has selvage edge margins S, se also Fig. '7, of cotton, silk, or other fibrous or inelastic yarn, preferably the same as the remainder of the inelastic yarn of the welt, to permit the formation of an ordinary seam K. As shown in Fig. 1, seaming at the welt leaves the usual opening l6.

More in detail, the first course of the blank is a loose course of plain loops of inelastic yarn, 1

I! of inelastic yarn joined to the elastic yarns is by split seams l9.

The elastic yarns 8 are knitted to have wales of plain loops 2| joined by transferred stitches 22 to provide the elastic area with a ribbed or better gripping effect. As appears clearly in Fig. 7, the ribbed areas 2| have a coursewise width of two wales and the transferred loops 22 are taken from single wales .one on each side of the given rib 2|. Further, all the loops in the wales adjoining the ribs 2| are transferred, those in every other course being transferred to the right and those in alternate courses being transferred .to the left so that single thread areas are produced between the ribs in which the threads incline alternately to the right and to the left with respect to the walewise direction. However, a'given rib area 2| does not have a double loop thickness across its entire width along any one course, each course of a given rib area 2| having an inclined or transferred loop on one side at one course and an inclined or transferred loop on the other side in the next course.

In the above-described form, the inner elastic layer l2 of the welt is constituted substantially as a single elastic panel G, completely surrounded by inelastic yarn margins, as above set forth, thus protecting the elastic area at its ends and sides, and causing it to be supported entirely by the inner layer. to the knitting mechanism so that, in drawing them off the needles, the elastic yarn contracts relative to the inelastic yarn, whereby, in its relaxed state, the inner layer I2 causes the outer layer Hi to assume a slightly contracted or gathered formation. Therefore, when the inner layer is stretched, as in placing the stocking 0n the leg of the wearer, the outer layer has much greater play than were it to be of normal peripheral dimensions, secured in this condition to the elastic layer such that stretching of the elastic layer would stretch the layer of inelastic yarn beyond the elastic limit which the layer has by reason of its loop formation.

As shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the inner layer He is provided with panels 24 of elastic yarn disposed in series about the welt Wu and Joined to each other by walewise areas 25 of inelastic yarn, to which the panels may be joined as by split seams; this arrangement reducing the amount of elastic yarn required, providing a different way of selecting the degree of stretch, lending variety of design, causing areas to alternately contact and to not contact, respectively, with the skin of the wearer, and having other benefits.

In the modification of Figs. 5, 6 and 8, a plurality of walewise-spaced elastic panels or bands 21 extend coursewise about the welt Wb, this structur offering further possibilities, differing from the forms of Figs. 1 and 3. in the selection and variety of elasticity and appearance.

Of course, the improvements specifically shown and described, by which I obtain the above results, can be changed and modified in various ways without departing from the scope of the invention herein disclosed and hereinafter claimed. w

I claim:

1. A knitted-garment comprising a multi-layer portion including an outer layer of inelastic yarn, and an inner layer embodying an area of inelastic yarn extending walewise while the garment is in use and alternate elastic and inelastic areas only the elastic areas of which positively contact the skin of the wearer.

2. A knitted fabric comprising a zone having The yarns are fedsome alternating areas each solely of elastic and inelastic thread and in which only the areas of elastic thread have walewise extending ribs.

3. A knitted garment comprising a zone having alternating areas each solely of elastic and inelastic thread, said areas of elastic thread having greater average thickness than those of inelastic thread and arranged to contact the person when in use with greater pressure.

4. A knitted garment comprising a two ply portion the inner ply of which includes a zone having alternating areas each solely of elastic and inelastic thread, said areas of elastic thread initially contracted in the coursewise direction to cause a gather in the outer ply and to provide relatively greater coursewise elasticity, said elastic thread areas being also of greater average thickness than those of inelastic thread and ar ranged to contact the person when in use with greater pressure.

5. A knitted fabric comprising a two ply portion the inner ply of which includes a zone having alternating areas inelastic thread, said areas of elastic thread having walewise ribs and coursewise spaces.

6. A flat knitted welt for asto king having one or more sections knitted solely from elastic yarn arranged to contact the person of the wearer when in use and having walewise ribs separated by single thread areas.

7. A flat knitted welt tor a stockin having one or more sections knitted arranged to contact the person of the wearer when in use and having walewise ribs separated by single thread areas in which the threads incline oppositely in successive courses.

8. A flat knitted welt for a stockin having one or more sections knitted solely from elastic yarn arranged to contact the person of .the wearer when in use and having coursewise spaced ribs comprising two sets of loops, one set straight in the walewise direction and the other inclined to the walewise direction, said ribs separated by a relatively thin walewise zone.

9. A flat knitted well: for a, stocking having one or more sections knitted solely from elastic yarn arranged to contact the person of the wearer.

having coursewise spaced ribs when in use and of overlapping straight and inclined loops, said ribs sewrated by single thread areasonly one wale wide and having threads in adjoining courses inclined in opposite directions.

10. A flat mitted welt for a stocking having one or more sections knitted to include elastic yarn arranged to contact the person of the wearer when in use and having coursewlse spaced ribs saw two wales wide of overlapping inclined and straight loops, said inclined loops occurring in all the courses, some on'one side and some on the other, but those on one side of a given rib occupying only alternate courses.

11. Aflat knitted welt for a stocking having one or more sections knitted solely from elastic yarn arranged to contact the person of the wearer when in use and having coursewise spaced ribs each oil plural wale width and having inclined lodge extending from both sides. the inclined loom extending from one side of a riblying in courses alternating extendin from the other side of the rib.

is. A flat knitted welt for a stocking havin one each solely of elastic and spaced by areas stocking comprising knitting said welt to include elastic yarn with the courses of those solely from elastic yarn or more sections knitted when in use and having coursewise spaced ribs each of plural wale width'and having inclined loops extending from both sides, the inclined loops extending from one'side ofa given rib lying in courses alternating with those extending from the other sid'e of the same rib, said ribs of single thread thickness and of single wale widths "in which all the are inclined to the walewise direction but have alternately diiferent inclinations. r

13. The method of making a welt for a stocking comprising knitting courses partly of elastic and partly of inelastic yarns, Joining the elastic yarn to the inelastic yarn by a split seam. transierring loops in alternate courses of certain wales to the wales at the right of said certain wales and transferring the remaining loops. certain wales to the wales at their left.

14. The method of producing a. welt for a partly of elastic and partly of inelastic yarns, transfer-ring the loops in alternate courses in wales in areas of elastic yarn to the wales on the right of said certain wales and transferring the remaining loops of .said certain wales to the wales at their left.

15. A stocking having a plain knit top section. said top section having consecutive courses of regular stitches of inelastic yarn, an immediately following course having a plurality of spaced transferred stitches and an immediately following series of courses providing a series of coursewise spaced ribs, said series of courses being knit of elastic yarn at least substantially throughout.

16. A flat knitted article having one or more sections knitted solely from elastic yarn arranged to contact the person of the wearer when in use and having coursewise spaced ribs comprising two sets of loops, one set plain and'the other set transferred. aid ribs separated by single thread areas.

17. Knit hosiery having an elastic zone integrally knit solely of elastic yarn and comprising a series of coursewise spaced rows of conventional lace stitches extendin in a generally'walewise direction, with intervening ribs thickened through the presence of the loops transferred in the formation of said stitches.

18. A knitted article having a zone entirely of elastic yarn and comprising apluraiity of courses having transferred loops therein arranged in coursewise spaced rows and coursewise spaced ribs intersecting the courses substantially throughout the area having said transferred loops therein.

'19. A flat knitted article having a rib lols inelastic yarn area adjacent to a zone brmedmtirely of elastic yarn and spaced ribs extending from one edge to an opposits edge of said none, each rib having a width of more than one needle wale.

20. A knitted fabric having a zone entirely of elastic yarn, said one having ribs extending substantially entirely across it in the walewise direction and each rib comprising a needle wale or plain loops and loop portions from an adjacent wsle of loops.

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